Aufwecken
by saiki.kensuke.yuuta
Summary: The requested sequel to Seraph's Departure. Mainly YoKen and RanOmi. Read and review, please. COMPLETE!
1. Aufstehen

Author's Note: The long-awaited sequel to _Seraph's Departure_! I was surprised at the response for a sequel. More than the small 4 reviews I was expecting. Thanks guys!

**If you're reading this before Seraph's Departure, then _why are you here? _ Go read Seraph first! Go! Go on! Scoot!**

If the last ending seemed a bit rushed, it wasn't. I left out details on purpose. That's KD style. Lol. Be patient, it'll all come around in the end. Hope you like this story even better than the last time.

Disclaimer: Don't own Weiss or the characters, just my plot here.

Warnings: Shounen-ai, lots of angst, fluff, etcetc. A bit more AU now since I made them quit being assassins.

Pairing: Main pairing is YoKen, of course. RanOmi is still around.

Fic Note: How nice...it begins here.

_**Aufstehen**_

The nurses whispered in awe as they watched a tall blond man carrying flowers walk to the elevator to reach the third floor. They knew his story, and they were amazed at his dedication. For three years, this man named Yoji Kudou had been consistently coming for Ken Hidaka. The only reason doctors didn't shut down Ken's support systems, though he appeared a hopeless case, was because of this man's dedication. Not to mention Yoji had a strange unsettling aura about him. If Ken were disturbed in any way, shape or form, the hospital could be sure of future trouble from this man. Why Ken was so important to Yoji, they would never understand.

The fact was, Ken was the reason Weiss had glued together in the end, and the same reason why Weiss ceased to exist. In missions past, the old team of Weiss had proven that it was impossible to do a mission cleanly and without distractions without their fourth member. It was just too dangerous. Letting go of the old team at that point was about the same as just letting the team do a suicide mission and die.

Just because they had been let out of Weiss, however, didn't mean that it was all over. In fact in a way, they were still a part of Weiss. If missions called for extra help, the old team would be called in to aid the new team, proving more effective because they wouldn't be doing too much of the work anymore. Outside of their assassin work, they were still being stalked occassionally by old enemies who didn't care whether they were Weiss or not.

For the most part, though, it was a lot more peaceful for them. Yoji had made a room in his house for Ken, and placed all of Ken's valuables in the room, ready for Ken's return. They had been planning to move their flower shop, to keep from the enemy's constant reach-since Ken's reaction with Schuldich practically revealed everything. However, they didn't want to make a move until Ken returned to them. And if he never did, they would keep waiting. One thing they would never do to Ken was give up on him. They wouldn't give up hope because if they had been in Ken's position, they were sure that Ken would have been the one to keep the hope alive. A sappy way to go about things, but they felt that was how they would have to go about this situation.

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The doctor had been waiting for Yoji outside of Ken's room. He had a grim look on his face. When Yoji reached him, he blocked the tall man's way into the room. Yoji frowned. "What do you think you're doing?"

"There is something you should know before you go in..."

Yoji felt his heart stop a moment. "What would that be...?"

His grip on the basket of flowers tightened as the man began to speak. "Well, it seems that Hidaka Ken has..."

Yoji thought he would just die. He was torn between wanting to cry, laugh, or just barge right into the room. The news was very interesting indeed.

_"Mr. Hidaka woke up at around 4:30 this morning. He lacks responsiveness at times, probably out of confusion at his current condition and location, and he has no recollection of anything or anyone. Not you, not his house, not anyplace. You'll have to give him time..."_

Yoji barged in at that moment into Ken's room, the flowers he had dropped on the ground and left them forgotten. He rushed to Ken's side as a nurse finished checking him over and decided to leave the two alone while she was going to discuss with the doctor her findings. Ken was sitting up, but he seemed quite dazed. Yoji cupped his hands around Ken's face and forced the ex-soccer player to turn his head, and he stared straight into Ken's eyes.

"Ken! It's me, Yoji! How are you feeling?" the blond whispered with excitement.

The brunette squinted at him, as if he was having a hard time seeing him. The response Ken gave was expected, but it completely shattered Yoji anyway. The brunette slowly moved his hand to feeling Yoji's face a moment, and his face looked as if he was contemplating.

"Ken...? It's me."

"Who...?" the young man whispered, the rest of his question unspoken, lost in the flurry of his confused thoughts.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Saiki.Kensuke.Yuuta: Ah, the start of a new story. How nice, eh? Review please! And no, I didn't kill off Ken a second time. I mean, he just came back from the dead last installment, for goodness sake! Anyway, feel free to review before I continue. Next installment will probably be uploaded either soon, or later tonight.


	2. Erstes Opfer: Gedächtnis

Author's Note: The updates for this story might end up a little slow...class is starting up, and I won't have great access to a computer anymore, but I'll try my best to finish this and my other projects soon. My goal is to have this and three other fics finished before the end of October. Then I'll take a break for a while before starting up again. Probably will pick it up in December. We'll see how it goes, anyway.

**As usual, reviews are appreciated!**

Disclaimer & Warnings: Refer to first chapter.

Pairing: YoKen with hints of RanOmi.

Fic Note: So Ken has changed. Let's take a look at what he gave up.

_**Erstes Opfer: Gedächtnis**_

_"Doctor...what happened to him?"_

_The doctor had come in after talking with the nurse, and he was frowning and flipping through his clipboard. "This is most unusual..."_

_"What is going on?"_

_"The memory loss is understandable...but it seems that he's having trouble with his vision as well."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"The nurse said that in his response, sometimes he saw only color, and sometimes he could see the actual object."_

_"So then what you're saying is..."_

_"Something may be temporarily wrong with his vision...but that's the part I don't understand. Trauma is not the cause for loss of vision."_

_Yoji was frustrated. "Then what is the cause?"_

_The doctor flipped the pages back to the first page and sighed. "The cause, I cannot identify. You will have to bring him for occassional vision checks...I will let you take him home, but only if you promise to keep a close eye-"_

_"Of course," Yoji snapped, "I believe I've been keeping a close eye for a long time. I can handle this."_

_The doctor nodded. He filled out a card and handed it to Yoji. "Come back next month...we will have to check his progress monthly. I will make the appointment for you at the front, you just keep that card and come back when it says. If there is a drastic change that needs immediate attention, my personal office number is on the back, you call there and let me know right away."_

_Yoji flipped over both sides of the card and nodded. "All right..."_

_"Then I will be seeing you both soon..." the doctor said before leaving Yoji with Ken._

_Yoji turned to Ken and eventually convinced him to get dressed. They left the hospital after another two hours._

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Yoji walked with Ken towards his convertible, one hand was holding Ken's, and the other arm was wrapped behind Ken's back and slightly along the waist, leading him. Ken was blushing. "Um...what did you say your name was again?"

Yoji winced a bit at this, but looked down and smiled at Ken. "Yoji...Yoji Kudou."

Ken nodded to himself. "And me...?"

Yoji fought not to let his tears fall. "Ken Hidaka."

Ken blushed. He liked the way Yoji said his name for some odd reason. He wasn't sure if that was normal. "Um...Yoji...?"

"Hm?"

"Is it normal to be walking to the car like this?"

Yoji almost laughed. "Of course it is, Ken. I'm simply leading you to the car, that's all."

Ken relaxed. "Oh...okay. Right."

They got into the car, and Yoji revved up the engine. They were gone from the hospital in five minutes. "So...where are we going?" Ken asked.

"To our house."

Ken looked at the road ahead and looked confused. "We live together?"

Yoji laughed. "Oh, that's right, I never told you, did I? After your old apartment was burned, you decided to buy a new one. Then you fell comatose..." Yoji made a turn into his street, "After that, I didn't want you to come back home to a rent sky high, so I gave you a room at my place. You don't mind, right?"

Ken gave a small smile. "No...I guess not."

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Ken jumped onto his bed childishly. Yoji cracked a small smile. Ken looked up at him with a big grin, causing Yoji to feel slight warmth in his heart. He had missed this man so much. He sat down next to the brunette and ruffled his hair. Ken froze and looked up at him questioningly. "Yoji...?"

Yoji smiled. "Hm...?"

Ken looked as if he was about to say something, then yawned. He smiled a sleepy smile. "I need to go to bed now...I need a shower too..."

Yoji laughed and helped Ken into bed, removing his shoes for him and tucking him in. "Don't worry. You can take a shower in the morning."

Ken yawned again and nodded slowly in agreement. "Yeah...okay..."

Yoji brushed his lips lightly over the brunette's head and turned off the light to the room, left the door slightly ajar, and started to slip into the bed beside Ken. He wrapped an arm around Ken when Ken started to squirm a bit. "Nngh...Yoji...?"

"Hm...?" Yoji was half-asleep himself.

"Don't you...don't you have another room or something?"

"Huh?" Yoji was a bit more awake now.

Ken groaned softly. "The bed is uncomfortable with you in it..."

"Oh...oh!" Yoji got up slowly and got out of the bed, looking a bit hurt, "I'm sorry..."

Ken turned over a bit and looked up at Yoji with tired eyes. "Hm...it's okay now..." he snuggled under the blankets, "Good night, Yoji..."

Yoji sighed slightly and rubbed the back of his neck before leaving the room. "Yeah...good night, I guess..."

"See you in the morning..." Ken whispered tiredly to no one, Yoji had already gone.

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Yoji woke up to the sweet aroma of breakfast. He looked at his clock. 6am. It was unheard of. He knew that Ken used to work the morning shifts at the flower shop, but he didn't think that Ken would keep up his early morning routines naturally. He got out of bed slowly. He had to get up anyway. Today was the day he had to bring Ken back to the flower shop. Ran and Omi had been ecstatic with his late night phone call of Ken's return, something Yoji did after Ken kicked him out. Ran hadn't been too happy at first about being woken up by the blond playboy so late at night, but after hearing the news about Ken, he was forgiving-but only slightly.

He peeked around the corner and looked through the open entrance of his kitchen. What he saw made him smile. Ken had borrowed Yoji's blue flower shop apron that he had left lying on his couch, and he was cooking breakfast. It was rice mixed with bits of egg. Ken was also baking some cookies, or something of the sort in the oven. It had been the cookies Yoji had been smelling. Standing up straight and out of his hiding spot, he leaned quietly at the entrance and waited for Ken to turn around and notice him, which the brunette soon did as he was pulling out the finished cookies. The shock written on Ken's face was amusing.

"Hi."

Yoji smirked and got closer to Ken. "Morning."

Ken soon got over his shock and smiled, returning to preparing the food. "Why don't you got have a seat, Yoji?"

Yoji half-smiled, nodded, and took a seat. He wasn't sure if Ken in his normal state would be this toned-down. It was almost eerie, like he was living with someone else, but he was determined to stick with his lover. Ken soon came with a tray of the rice bowls mixed with egg, and some vegetable soup. The cookies were set to the side, much to Yoji's dismay. Ken smiled at him. "You can eat those at the very end with some milk."

Yoji pouted, "I want to taste them warm!"

Ken laughed. "Sorry! You're going to have to wait until _after _you finish your main meal."

Yoji sighed. For a minute, he forgot that Ken probably didn't remember what he was like in the past. "You were always such a health freak..." Yoji said slowly, eating the tasty food while remembering what had been inside Ken's old refridgerator.

Ken blinked and seemed to space out into the distance. "Really...? Have I always been like this...? No wonder it felt so natural to feel disgusted by looking through your junk-food filled refridgerator. I mean honestly, who can survive off of so many frozen foods and ramen? It's not healthy!"

Yoji had stopped listening after Ken had said his second sentence. He frowned. "You don't remember what you were like?"

Ken's eyes refocused on Yoji and he smiled sheepishly. "Actually...I don't remember a whole lot."

Yoji's eyes widened slightly. "Did you recognize anything you saw in your room this morning? Did it trigger any memories?"

Ken frowned for a moment, chewing on his chopsticks as if contemplating, then shook his head. "I don't think so..."

"Not even the soccer stuff?" Yoji was a bit exasperated now, remembering the day Ken had almost completely shattered when he had thought his treasured possessions would be gone forever.

Ken blinked and then laughed. "So that's what that was?"

Yoji felt his jaw drop a bit. Suddenly, he wasn't so hungry. He forced down the rest of the food, and then moved his chair closer to Ken. He looked at the brunette intensely, causing the other to widen his eyes in confusion. "Um...Yoji? What's wrong?"

"You don't remember soccer?" Yoji looked into Ken's eyes seriously, making sure this wasn't a foul joke.

Ken slowly shook his head. "Um...no...?"

Yoji never thought he would hear that coming from the former soccer player's mouth. He grabbed Ken's arm and dragged him to his room. "Hey!" Ken whined, "I wasn't finished with breakfast!"

"Finish it later," Yoji said before dragging Ken into his room.

He opened the closet filled with Ken's old soccer clothes and some new ones along with some regular clothes that Yoji had been able to salvage. Ken stared at Yoji in quesiton, then back at the closet. "Um...why are we looking at this?"

"They're your clothes. Pick something to wear. We've got to go."

Ken nodded slowly. "But go where?"

"To meet everyone else you were friends with before you were...you know."

"Oh! Okay," Ken reached for the clothes right next to his favorite soccer jerseys.

Yoji's eyes widened. "You have got to be kidding me..." he muttered.

Ken turned and raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

Yoji shook his head. "Why not the jersey?"

Ken wrinkled his nose. "Go out in that? That's casual! If I'm meeting people, I've got to look nice."

Yoji wanted to just shake Ken and force him to snap back to his senses. Three years ago, soccer jerseys _were _Ken's definition of _dressing nice._ He let Ken get into the bathroom to change, and then he grabbed Ken's arm. "All right. We're going."

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"Why are they so close like that...?" Ken spoke softly as they were getting out of the car and walking towards the entrance of the flower shop.

Yoji looked up. Ken was talking about Ran being behind Omi and helping him pat down the soil for the plant they were working on. He half-smiled. "They're just helping each other out."

Ken looked confused. "But why are they so close?"

"They're in love, Ken. Don't you remember? Don't they look familiar to you?"

Ken thought for a moment, then shook his head sadly. "No...they don't really," he smiled, "But at least they look happy! Do you really think we should interrupt them though?"

"Since it's you, they definetly won't mind. Come on," Yoji opened the door to the flower shop and stepped in, pushing Ken in as well.

Ran and Omi both backed away from each other quickly, thinking it was a customer. Ken found this funny and laughed. It sent ripples of calm through Yoji. If there was one thing that didn't change, it was Ken's laugh. Recognizing the laugh and not believing it, both slowly looked at the entrance. Ran's eyes widened slightly as he leaned back to grip a table, and Omi was shocked at first, then ran up to Ken and hugged him.

"Ken-kun!" Omi shouted happily.

Ken smiled a small smile. "Um...hi?"

Omi stepped back and looked at Ken happily, holding the other boy's wrists up. "It's really you! Isn't it really him, Yoji?" Omi asked, looking at the blond, "You didn't bring in some look-alike?"

Yoji smiled. "No...not entirely."

Omi blinked. "Huh?"

At that moment, Ken groaned as he held his head. Immediately the three Weiss were around him. "Ken-kun, what is it?" Omi asked worriedly.

Ken slowly opened his eyes and saw nothing but a blur of color. He reached out blindly, tilting to the side a little from the pain in his head and the lack of orientation. All the excitement had surprised Ken, and it had caused this reaction. Yoji caught him as he passed out. They took him down to the basement and placed him on the couch. The rest of the Weiss then went back upstairs to one of the tables and sat down.

Ran crossed his arms and stared at Yoji. "Explain."

Yoji looked away a moment from Omi's expectant face and Ran's penetrating gaze. "He has no memory..."

Omi gasped. "He doesn't remember us?"

Yoji laughed a bit bitterly, nodding. "And he doesn't remember me either...or any of himself."

"What do you mean, he doesn't remember any of himself?" Omi asked.

Yoji sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Like soccer. This morning, he wasn't interested in his soccer jerseys. He didn't even remember how to play the game."

Ran raised an eyebrow. "He loves soccer...I've watched him."

"Well, you can ask him about it, but I doubt you'll get a different response. He just doesn't remember."

Omi patted one of Yoji's hands. "I'm sure he'll come around soon..."

"Yeah, well until then, living with him is like living with a totally different person...we can't excite him with memories that he can't recall...he might get frustrated. And there are some things that probably aren't worth mentioning..." that was something they all agreed on.

Inwardly, they all decided not to remind Ken of Weiss, of his break with Ran, the whole incident with Schuldich, or any other things that had gone terribly wrong for Ken. They were all quiet for a moment. The sound of the clock ticking was suddenly very loud in all their ears. Yoji finally broke the silence. "That isn't all."

The other two stared at him, waiting for him to elaborate. Yoji sighed. "Next month...Ken has to go back to the hospital, and he has to go back every month after that, at least once."

"Nani! Why?" Omi asked.

Yoji half-smiled. "His vision."

"What? What about his vision?"

"Sometimes he can't see well. They said sometimes he only saw a mess of colors, nothing more. Other times, he can see us just fine."

Ran let out a soft sigh. "What else."

"I don't know what else...only time will tell that much, I guess."

The clock struck 10am. The first customer walked through the door, and the three Weiss got up to greet the person, all with half a heart.

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_"How does it look, doctor?"_

_"No dramatic changes, but he still gets the same response. Though now he has headaches with each response."_

_"Can it be fixed?"_

_"Painkillers for the headaches. The vision problem still doesn't make sense. There is no apparent cause for it."_

_"..."_

_"Yoji!"_

_"Oh...! Ken! You're ready to go?"_

_A smile. "Yeah, I'm ready."_

_"All right...let's go. Thank you, doctor."_

_"Take care..."_

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Several months had passed since Ken's first eye exam. After that, each following exam showed gradual change in Ken's eyesight. Ken was starting to see more dark than colors and definte shapes. Yoji was getting worried that the vision loss may not have been temporary after all.

Today was the day of the big move for the Weiss flower shop. Ran had insisted on watching over Ken, so Yoji could take a sort of break from the ordeal and help set up the new shop. Meanwhile, Ran had driven Ken to his once favorite soccer field, where he had used to watch the brunette practice on some of their dates in the past. He was hoping to revive some memory. Taking Ken out to the field, he set a soccer ball down at Ken's feet. Ken looked down at the ball and could see it's fuzzy outline. His vision wasn't that bad at the moment.

"What's this, Ran?" Ken asked.

Ran half-smiled. At least when Ken didn't remember anything, he was okay with calling him by his real name. "It's a soccer ball, Ken."

"Oh! I know, but I was wondering what you wanted me to do with it?"

Ran let a small smile form. "We'll play a game."

"A game?"

"Yes. We'll pass it back and forth to each other."

"Oh, okay! How do we start?"

"You kick the ball down that way...and I'll go after it and kick it back. Then you'll have to run after it too."

Ken smiled. "Okay!" he said before kicking the ball hard.

Ran ran after the ball and kicked it back towards Ken, who sped with natural grace down the field to return the ball to Ran. It was breathtaking. Until Ken got bored. Ran couldn't believe it. Ken had never gotten tired of the game before. "You love this game..."

Ken blinked. "I do? I guess my interests changed a little..."

Ran couldn't believe what he was hearing. Ken without soccer wasn't really Ken at all. _"Living with him is like living with a totally different person..."_ Yoji had said.

Now Ran could understand a little. He frowned slightly, which Ken noticed. He took the ball from Ran and kicked it back out into the field. He didn't want to make his friend unhappy. "Let's play another round, though."

Ran looked at Ken in question. "I thought you were tired of-"

Ken shook his head. "You know? I don't know _what _I was thinking. I love this game!" Ken smiled.

Ran was relieved. "So you _do _remember..."

Ken nodded slowly. "Yeah, I think I do..." he said before watching Ran run off to get the ball.

Ken was realizing that he would have to put bits and pieces of his friends' memories together and pretend that he was actually remembering things. It seemed to upset his friends otherwise, especially Yoji. He didn't understand why the man wanted to get so close to him all the time, but he knew that he probably meant a lot to Yoji, for some odd reason. While he was contemplating all this, he wasn't prepared for the soccer ball which came spiraling back, hitting him hard on the head. He fell face forward to the ground and held his head, a splitting headache occuring. He heard Ran running over to him.

"Ken! Ken! Are you all right?"

Ken looked up a bit, and searched for colors that looked like skin so he could look at Ran and pretend he was fine. All he saw was a blur of green and blue, however. And now the blurs were getting quite dark. "Ken?" Ran's urgent voice pierced the darkness he was seeing, "Ken, answer me, are you all right?"

"Yeah...I think..." Ken said softly, he wasn't sure if he was still awake or if he was talking in a dream.

The colors were starting to fade as he felt Ran lift him up and take him somewhere. At least, he thought it was Ran. He felt the car he was now in start up and move, and he felt a small panic forming in his throat. "Ran...?" he spoke cautiously.

"Don't worry, Ken, I'm taking you back to the shop, to Yoji and Omi," Ran replied.

Ken relaxed at the sound of Ran's voice and the fact that he was being taken back to Yoji. He felt a bit safer somehow. He was even less afraid as soon the world was enveloped into darkness as he passed out.

Except, Ken was awake.

But Ken didn't know that. All he could see was black, and black he associated with sleep. So he remained silent for the rest of the ride.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Saiki.Kensuke.Yuuta: Onto the creation of the next chapter! Hopefully I don't take _too _long, right? XD Stupid wordpad...this comp doesn't have a regular ms word program, so none of my emoticons will show up here. Except for that one...XD Haha, there it is again! Okay...okay...I'm going, I'm going. I shall write more to satisfy the reader. Hahaha.


	3. Zweites Opfer: Anblick

Author's Note: Reviews are still appreciated. Thank you so much for your support, guys. The reviews were kind of slow for the first chapter, so I was unsure whether or not to even bother with the second chapter, but at least I got a few in which boosted my confidence a little.

**I have decided that once I finish my planned fics, I will take my hiatus to read fics created by my signed reviewers and return the favor. Thank you so much for all keeping up with my fictions in all my fandoms.**

Disclaimer & Warnings: Refer to first chapter.

Pairing: YoKen with hints Omi+Ken friendship.

Fic Note: Last chapter was a prelude into Ken's second sacrifice. The first sacrifice was memory, my intention was for Ran. A lot of Ken's old memories based on Seraph revolved around the hardships he had shared with Ran. In a way, though, it affected everyone in Weiss, but Ran probably moreso because the memory of Ken's forgiveness was probably the most important. If only one of them remembered the fact that Ken had finally gotten over the problem and forgiven Ran, then who's to say that everything will come out perfectly?

Anyway, on to the second sacrifice.

_**Zweites Opfer: Anblick**_

_"What...did you do!" Yoji growled as he rammed Ran into the wall in the basement of their new flower shop._

_Ran simply stared at Yoji calmly, though inside he was feeling incredibly guilty for Ken's current situation. He said nothing as he let Yoji continue to remain furious at him. He was too numb to retaliate. He couldn't believe that out of his selfish desire to get Ken to remember, he had caused Ken more problems. The worst part was, when Ken found out, he hadn't been mad at him. He had forgiven Ran and said that it was a mistake that could easily be forgiven. That was Ken. Another part of him slowly resurfacing on its own. _

_This, was Yoji. Furious that Ran couldn't have waited for Ken to slowly remember. Furious at himself for thinking Ran could handle the situation any better than he could have. At least if it was him who had caused Ken's vision loss, he wouldn't be feeling this extra guilt. Yoji felt as if he had allowed Ken to lose his vision on purpose by entrusting him to someone else who would cause it._

_Ran just took all of Yoji's frustrations in, because Yoji was expressing the frustration for the both of them, and Ran could handle that. Any other day he would have fought back and labeled Yoji a cocky fighter with too much ego and self-centeredness. But today, he could accept this._

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Omi smiled up at Ken who was sitting in a seat when he realized sadly that Ken couldn't see him. He had been retying Ken's shoelaces for him, since Ken's shoes had started to come loose off his feet when he had entered the shop. Ken reached out blindly for Omi, and Omi caught Ken's hand, pretending his hand had been there the whole time. "What is it, Ken?"

Ken smiled into the distance, gripping Omi's hand tightly and laughed. "You didn't have to tie my shoes, you know. I could have done it myself later."

Omi half-smiled. "But _Ken-kun_ you _tried _already."

Ken frowned slightly. "Yeah, I know...but I'll never learn if I don't try, right?"

Omi nodded slightly before catching himself, realizing that once again, Ken couldn't see his expression. It was very difficult. He and Ken had always been able to communicate to great lengths just by expression, but since Ken could no longer see Omi's expression, or respond with his own, they were at a communication handicap. It wasn't easy. "Hey, Omi?"

"Yes?" Omi looked up at Ken expectantly, ready to get something for Ken if he needed it.

"Omi...where did Yoji and Ran go?"

Omi almost didn't recognize the second name, but he caught himself in time before he asked. "Um...well, I'm not sure, actually."

Ken frowned slightly. "Oh, I see. Omi...what time is it?"

"It's still early afternoon, Ken."

Ken sighed. Omi looked at Ken worriedly, "What is it, Ken?"

"It's nothing," Ken smiled, "Aren't there flowers needing to be arranged?"

Ken had recently readjusted into his role of flower arranging. That was when he had most of his sight. The process itself triggered no memories, however, and the other Weiss had been noticing that he had gotten far more graceful at the task, a slightly disturbing fact. Ken was not known for his grace and concentration, and yet this Ken in front of them was just that; graceful and thoughtful in his actions. Omi frowned at Ken and sighed, realizing Ken couldn't see that either. "Ken...you should be more concerned about yourself right now than this store. What were you trying to say before?"

Ken shook his head and smiled, "I said it was nothing."

Omi sighed. Judging by Ken's current expression, he was probably still wondering where Yoji and Ran had gone. Omi was starting to wonder himself. "Ken-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"You want something to drink? I'm about to go get something from the basement."

Ken nodded. "Do we have any juice left?"

Omi smiled and nodded, "Hai! I'll get you some soon, okay?"

Ken smiled. "Okay. I'll wait right here," he said, laughing.

Omi laughed with Ken as he got up, brushed his pants and walked towards the basement entrance. Of course Ken would stay there, where else would he go, anyway? Just like Ken to bring light to a not so bright situation. Omi shut the door quietly behind him, and was glad he did. He only went down two steps before he heard Yoji's angry voice.

_"...and don't you ever go near him again!"_

Omi rushed down the stairs quickly, his eyes wide seeing Ran with his eyes narrowed and a small line of blood coming from his mouth from where Yoji had punched him out of anger earlier as Ran had tried to explain what had triggered Ken's blackout and why he had been playing soccer with the boy. Yoji was looking tired and angry. Omi frowned and stepped in between the two as Ran was ready to finally retaliate against Yoji. "_Aya-kun! Yoji-kun!_" Omi said, exasperated, "Stop this!"

Ran stepped away a bit, not even bothering to show a bit of weakness by attending to his wound. Yoji just stared at Ran, and then Omi with anger. "Why are you fighting...?" Omi asked cautiously.

Yoji growled, "Because he caused Ken's vision to corrupt. You know how much Ken valued his surroundings! Now he won't even catch a small glimpse of them, all thanks to this guy!"

Omi winced inwardly, he didn't like his lover getting attacked. He took the defensive for Ran. "Yoji-kun...I know Aya didn't make the best decision..." this caused Ran's eye to twitch slightly, "...but it was an honest mistake. Ken's forgiven him, can't you?"

"No. I can't."

Omi sighed. "Well...I'm sure you can...you just need a little while to cool down...and-"

Yoji didn't wait to hear the rest of Omi's words. He was still angry at Ran, annoyed that Omi had come in between them, further annoyed that Ran didn't seem to be giving any reactions to the situation at hand, and relieved that Omi had come to stop his rant. He didn't think he could have stopped otherwise. He went up the stairs as soon as he felt he had some control. Omi watched Yoji storm up the stairs before turning to Ran. "Aya-kun..." Omi whispered, his eyes filled with concern.

The younger boy was on his tiptoes as he used his fingers to wipe away the blood from Ran's lip. Ran flinched away slightly. "Why did you let Yoji-kun do it...?" he whispered.

The younger boy was shocked when he saw tears threatening to fall from the older man's eyes. "Because Ken can't see. I caused it. Ken can't play soccer. Ken can't see outside..."

Omi tiptoed all the way and silenced his lover with a kiss. He pulled back and smiled at Ran. "It's okay, Aya...Ken-kun is strong...he's not mad. It's just Yoji."

"Is Ken..."

Omi looked up at Ran. "It's okay, Aya...Yoji-kun will take care of it now...you shouldn't worry about Ken-kun so much, you know?"

Ran nodded slowly and allowed Omi to hug him. He let out a small sigh.

------------------------------------------------

"Omi?" Ken called out into his darkness as he heard footsteps from somewhere.

"No, it's me, Yoji..." came Yoji's soothing voice.

Ken smiled out of confusion and comfort at the same time. "Where's Omi? He disappeared after he offered to get me a drink..."

"He's busy...he ran into Aya."

"Oh. Okay! That's good, I guess-since you said they were in love and all. It's good to be with the one you love, right?"

"Yeah..." Yoji half-smiled in agreement, "Come on, let's go."

"Go...?" Ken asked in confusion as he felt himself being helped up by Yoji, "Go where?"

"Home."

_That _was music to Ken's ears. "Really?"

Yoji laughed at Ken's eagerness. "Yes, really. Did I leave you alone that long?"

Ken shook his head. "No...I've just been so tired since a while ago...I kind of wanted to go home but wasn't sure if that was all right..."

He felt Yoji's body shake with laughter as he was being led to their car. "Of course it would have been all right. You deserve all the rest you ask for, KenKen."

The nickname gave Ken a twinge of familiarity. The name made him amused, annoyed, and happy at the same time. "Yotan..." he whispered automatically.

Yoji stopped for a moment. "What was that?"

Ken looked up to where he guessed Yoji's face should be, he was mostly right for the most part. "Huh?"

Yoji shook his head. "Nevermind..." he helped Ken into the car.

Ken fell asleep on the way home, and Yoji carried Ken into his bed. He stayed by the brunette's side and brushed away some of the hair from Ken's face as he contemplated. It was strange, he could have sworn that Ken had responded with his old nickname when he had called him 'KenKen', but perhaps that was all part of his hopeful imagination. Yoji sighed as he looked down at his beautiful lover. He pulled up a chair and held one of his lover's hands protectively, as if that would keep Ken from yet another harmful situation. Situations that seemed to love following Ken. Situations that somehow caused Ken to bear it alone for the most part, each time. He hadn't planned it, but eventually, Yoji fell asleep beside Ken, still holding the brunette's hand.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Saiki.Kensuke.Yuuta: Can you believe it? We're almost already halfway through the sequel. Hahahaha. I think everyone will like how this fic ends. I don't know if it will bring absolute closure per se, but I hope it brings _some _kind of closure!

Next installment, coming soon!


	4. Drittes Opfer: Neigung

Author's Note: The last chapter probably seemed real short and underdeveloped, but I didn't really have much to say there. Hahaha. I think this chapter is going to be a bit short also, but it should pick up after here.

Disclaimer & Warnings: Refer to first chapter.

Pairing: YoKen-centric here.

Fic Note: I think this is the most obvious of the three sacrifices.

_**Drittes Opfer: Neigung**_

_He wasn't sure if he was dreaming, awake, or in-between. He felt one of his hands holding on to someone else's. He opened his eyes. In a room of white with no entrances and no exits. Just snowy white bed, a window with light shining through, and someone sitting in a white chair beside him. Looking to his left, he saw a blond sleeping beside him in the chair, holding his hand. He smiled and reached over to wake the other man when everything seemed to turn pitch black. He withdrew his hand, disappointed and confused. _

Ken opened his eyes and woke up the minute Yoji had adjusted himself in his sleep, his hand gripping Ken's painfully tight. Ken wondered where he was. Perhaps in the hospital. But that didn't explain who was sitting beside him. He thought for a moment, and yesterday flowed back to him. He had lost his vision. He had felt tired. He had fallen asleep in Yoji's car. After that, Ken must have kept on sleeping all day and all night. It was probably morning now. He reached over and patted the hand that was holding his other one tightly. "Yoji...?" he whispered tiredly.

"Hnnn..." Ken felt Yoji move again, slightly.

"Yoji...! Hey, get up, please? You're holding my hand too tight...it hurts," Ken whispered.

He got an immediate reaction after the word 'hurts'. "Hnnn!" Yoji moved and his grip released on Ken's hand.

Ken smiled as he heard Yoji yawn. He stifled a laugh when he heard the concern in Yoji's voice. "What's wrong? Are you all right, Ken?"

Ken nodded. "Yeah."

"You said something hurt, what is it?"

This time, Ken couldn't hold back his laugh. "I'm sorry. You were holding my hand too tight," a frown slowly formed on his face, "Why were you holding it, anyway?"

Yoji ruffled Ken's hair. "Because I care about you, that's why."

"But it still doesn't explain why you held-"

Yoji sighed. "Because I love you, Ken."

That made Ken gasp softly. Ever since he had come out of the hospital, this man had remained very close to him. Ken had been constantly wondering why the man had insisted being so close. He knew the older man had been dropping hints of this emotion of love here and there, but Ken chose to ignore the advances in case he was wrong. He had always thought that living in the same house was a bit strange too. Ken felt his face get flushed. "You...you...what?"

"I said that I love you."

Ken lowered his head. "I...I don't understand..." he whispered.

Yoji laughed. "What do you mean you don't understand? What, do I have to show you?"

Before Ken could respond, Yoji leaned over and pressed his mouth against Ken's gently, causing Ken's mouth to open in surprise as he took in a small intake of air. He couldn't see Yoji, so he hadn't been expecting Yoji to advance like that. Yoji misunderstood his reaction and began to kiss Ken passionately. He soon stopped, however, when he realized that Ken wasn't responding. In fact, Ken was pretty frozen. Yoji raised an eyebrow at Ken. "Ken...? What's wrong? You look upset."

Ken couldn't speak at first, but then he found his voice. His mind was confused again. "Yoji...why...why did you do that?"

Now Yoji was the one confused. "I love you, Ken," was all he could think of saying to explain.

Ken held his head, confused. He was a bit frustrated that he couldn't see Yoji's face. He wasn't sure if this was just a cruel joke. Needless to say he wasn't disgusted by the kiss, but he didn't understand the feelings behind the kiss either. "Yoji..." Ken whispered after a while, "Before I went to the hospital...what...what werewe?"

Yoji wanted to slap his forehead. He had been so run-down and tired these days, he kept forgetting that even though Ken showed signs of slowly remembering certain things, he didn't remember others. Yoji realized with a twinge of sadness that Ken didn't remember their relationship. Yoji brushed away some of Ken's hair from his face, but winced as that action caused Ken to slightly flinch away. Yoji withdrew his hand. "Tell me...what _were_ we...?" Ken asked again.

Yoji put his hand down, but kept it nearby Ken's hand. "Before...and even now...I see you as my love, and my everything."

Ken nodded and then frowned a bit. "But then, what about me? Did I love you too?"

Yoji laughed softly. "I know that I love you...and you knew it too...then. We did many things together. I declared my love...but I never got my answer."

Ken was silent, contemplating. "We did things together," Yoji continued gently, "And I made you laugh, and you brought back my smile...but I never got a chance to ask how you really felt...I always assumed that you reciprocated my feelings..."

Ken allowed Yoji to take his hand. Ken didn't respond, however, he was still thinking-taking all of this new information in. Yoji lifted his hand and Ken felt Yoji's lips brush lightly over it, sending small warm tingles down his spine. "I wish...I wish you could remember so I could know your answer now..."

Ken half-smiled. "I wish I could remember so I could at least tell you…"

He paused and waited for Yoji's response. Hearing none for what seemed like ages, since he didn't have his vision to aid him with guessing at time change, he tried searching for Yoji's familiar hand. He was getting good at being able to tell whose hand was whose. Ran had the coldest hands, second to his own. Though he was well known for his warm personality, Ken had one of the coldest physical temperatures. Omi's hands were small and cautiousness radiated off them. Yoji's was kind, accepting, and most of all-they were warm.

Yoji met him halfway into his search and squeezed the brunette's hand gently. "It's all right, Ken," he whispered, "You don't ever have to feel the same way…my feelings will not change for you. I'll just take care of you until your vision clears. If you don't want even that, I'll find you someplace more comfortable to-"

Ken squeezed Yoji's hand. Yoji clamped his mouth shut. Ken smiled a little. "It's okay! I don't mind staying here with you…"

Yoji was a bit surprised at Ken's sudden directness and cheer. A part of the old Ken was resurfacing before him, but that boy was gone again as the more mature one took the place of the first once more as he sunk under his covers a bit. Ken was tired. Yoji tucked Ken in a bit more before getting up to leave Ken alone for his rest.

Yoji got up to leave when he felt Ken's hand wrapped around his wrist. Yoji looked back at Ken questioningly. Ken was lying on his back with his eyes closed, his lips curling into a small and innocent smile. "Yoji…"

"Hm?"

"I can't tell you anything else for certain…but I can tell you…that I believe that even if I didn't think of you as someone I loved…I still know my opinion of you would be the same."

Yoji sighed and half-smiled, ruffling his own hair with his free hand. "And that would be…?"

Ken laughed softly, but his lips hinted at his seriousness. "I believe…" he paused for a moment, making sure he wasn't wording anything strangely, "I believe…that I would still consider you a great friend. The one I would most prefer talking to in our small family of friends…because I am most at ease when I'm with you."

Yoji didn't know whether to be flattered, or to feel a bit odd at the way Ken had worded his sentences. They were quite advanced for the Ken he once knew. He chuckled a bit, bent down, and ruffled Ken's hair, brushing his lips lightly over the brunette's forehead. "Thank you…" Yoji whispered.

Ken smiled. Yoji started to go again, but realized Ken was still holding onto him. He raised an eyebrow and looked at Ken. "Ken? Is something the matter?"

Ken frowned slightly for a moment, then let go of Yoji's wrist and laughed sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I don't know what I was expecting…"

Yoji chuckled. "I see. I understand, it's all right, Ken."

Ken listened silently as he heard Yoji leave the room and heard the click of the door as it closed. He sighed. So Yoji loved him. Ken didn't know what to think about that.

------------------------------------------------

Yoji almost flipped out when he heard the clang of pots and the clashing of plates hitting the ground at six in the morning. Wearing nothing but his boxers, he skidded out of his room and rushed toward the kitchen and felt his heart practically stop when he saw Ken squat, appearing unsure whether or not to attempt to pick up the broken pieces of the fallen dishes. Yoji rushed to Ken's side, taking great care not to get nicked by glass. Ken looked up in his direction in fear.

"Yoji…"

Yoji was furious. He desperately wished Ken could see his pissed off face at that moment. "What…in the _world _do you think you're doing, Ken…!" he growled.

Yoji's expression softened when he noticed Ken was shaking a little from the shock that he had broken something. He held Ken to help control the boy's shaking body. Ken leaned into Yoji and let a few silent tears fall. The loud noises he had created and the fact that he was surrounded by sharp objects with no definite guarantee that he could get out of it without getting something stuck in his skin had scared Ken to death. Yoji sighed and ruffled Ken's hair while the brunette continued to remain in his embrace. "I-I'm so s-sor-" Ken took in a short intake of breath, unable to finish.

Yoji chuckled softly. "You were scared pretty bad, huh?"

He felt Ken nod against him. Yoji laughed. "So why did you come to the kitchen on your own? You know it's hard when you can't see…I don't mind getting up for you early in the morning to help you if you want something to eat…"

Ken said something so softly, Yoji could barely hear. "What was that?" Yoji asked.

Ken spoke a bit louder, "You hate getting up early…"

Yoji laughed again. "Well, for you, I don't mind. I make exceptions too, you know. I'm not unfair."

He felt Ken smile. That was relief to Yoji. He didn't like Ken when he was so afraid and vulnerable, especially since Ken didn't hold any emotion back. He was always so honest about his emotions. A quality that resulted in Yoji not being able to be angry at him for more than two seconds at a time.

After Ken had shown signs of completely calming down, Yoji surprised Ken by lifting him up, holding his back and under his legs. Yoji carried Ken to the couch in the living room, taking great care not to step on any of the sharp shards. He placed Ken on the couch and sat next to the boy, shivering a little because of the cold are of the room on his bare skin. He wiped away a few strands of hair from Ken's face. Yoji half-smiled, amused. Ken still seemed in a daze about his accident.

"So tell me, KenKen," Yoji said in a teasing voice, "Why were you in the kitchen so bright and early this morning?"

Ken looked in the direction of where Yoji's voice had come from. He smiled a shy smile. "I wanted to make you breakfast."

"Nani!" Yoji wanted to slap his forehead, "You cannot see anything, you haven't memorized my house or the way I've placed things, you can't tell how close your hands get to the stove and you _still _try making me breakfast? Honestly, Ken, you are impossible."

Ken's eyes were a bit wide with fear. "Are you angry I broke a lot…?"

Yoji was going to joke and say he was angry, but he didn't think that messing with Ken's head was a good idea in his sensitive state. Then again, Yoji mused, Ken was always in some kind of sensitive state. Yoji smiled at Ken, and somehow, Ken felt Yoji's smile and relaxed. Even though he was blind, for some reason, out of all the people he knew or had been reintroduced to, he could only seem to see Yoji clearly and understand Yoji clearly in his mind.

"No Ken, I'm not angry. But I appreciate your concern for making me something other than junk food."

Ken laughed at this. Yoji felt a flutter in his heart. That was Ken's old laugh, not the laughter that this new Ken usually gave him. It came from deep within him instead of his throat. Yoji liked that. Ken reached out for Yoji's hand, and Yoji took Ken's hand. Ken sighed. Yoji raised an eyebrow. "What is it, Ken?"

"I…I wish I could still make you breakfast."

Yoji smiled. "You really want to make breakfast for me?"

Ken nodded. "All right then. You wait here a few minutes and let me go clean up the kitchen and get dressed."

Ken blushed furiously. "What do you mean, get dressed?"

Yoji laughed. "I'm a bit cold right now…"

Ken scrunched his face into an innocent look of honest confusion as he asked his next question. "So then, what _are _you wearing? I mean, it's not _that _cold in this house."

Yoji blushed a bit. "Well…I'm kind of…lack of clothing right now."

Now it was Ken turning beet red. "So what you're saying is-"

Yoji raised his hands. "Oh! No, no, no! I'm wearing boxers but uh…that's about it."

Ken froze and then blushing furiously, he turned his body to face the other direction. "Oh! Okay! Um…you go get changed then!"

Yoji laughed and got up. "Yeah, all right. I'll be back in a few minutes, love."

Ken heard Yoji leave the living room and swing open the door to his room. Ken curled up into a ball slightly. "Love…" he whispered to himself.

------------------------------------------------

After Yoji made sure the floors were clear of all debris, he led Ken back into the kitchen. He was amused to see that Ken was far more cautious about his venture this time. He led Ken to the middle of his kitchen. He dropped his hands and let Ken stand on his own, but smiled a bit as Ken turned and tried to find Yoji, grabbing a hold of him again for security. Yoji accepted him with his whole heart. Ken smiled nervously. "So…how are we doing this again?"

Yoji smiled. "Well, first, you tell me what to help you get. Then I'll help you cook."

Ken crinkled his nose. "That's the part I don't understand. How is that possible?"

Yoji laughed. "You'll see, Ken. Just start instructing me, and I'll help you out."

Ken nodded. "Um…okay…so I was thinking about some dumplings…I think there were some frozen ones in the freezer. I felt them."

"Oh! I know the one's you're talking about. Wait a moment," Yoji moved to get the dumplings from the freezer, "Hey, Ken?"

"Huh? Yeah?"

Yoji smiled. "Do you think you could make me those cookies? They were so delicious last time. I bought more cookie dough too."

Ken smiled nervously back at the wall in front of him. "Yeah? Okay. I guess so."

Yoji came back with the supplies and looked at Ken seriously. Ken felt Yoji's gaze and looked away slightly, blushing. "Ken, honestly, if you don't want to make something, just tell me so."

Ken smiled a bit more confidently in what he assumed was Yoji's direction. "Don't worry, Yoji. I don't mind making it for you, I just don't know how I'll be able to-"

Yoji pulled Ken into a tight hug, surprising and silencing Ken for a moment. "You'll learn," Yoji said to Ken with strong confidence.

Ken blushed and smiled. "Yeah? I hope so…"

Yoji pulled away from Ken. "All right, master chef! Where do we start?"

"Well…" Ken thought a moment then smiled, "We gotta boil up the water."

Yoji nodded. "Right. Let's go boil up some water."

He set up everything the way Ken wanted it, and after pouring the dumplings in, and while they were waiting for the cooking to finish, Yoji was helping Ken make the cookies. Ken had felt awkward at first, but Ken eventually got used to it, and pretty quickly. All Yoji was doing was intertwining his hands with Ken's, and moving Ken's hands for him to grab the objects necessary to flatten the dough or cut it. Technically Ken was still cooking, but with help. Ken smiled at Yoji's logic.

They cooked together happily. Their movements became well timed with each other, and they were no longer fumbling for the right timing. Soon Yoji's face was leaning on Ken's shoulder, and Ken was leaning back, relaxing his body against Yoji. Neither thought for a moment that this was awkward at all until it was time to eat breakfast, and then there was the slightly uncomfortable transition from being comfortable together to being simply friends. A bit disappointing to the both of them. The mood brightened, however, when they started eating their food, and Yoji was complimenting a flustered Ken on his cooking ability. Ken insisted that Yoji had done the brunt of the work, but Yoji would hear none of it.

They didn't spend the rest of the day interacting much, but the morning's mood settled within them, and they were on very comfortable terms with each other when bypassing the each other in the house. The rest of the day was filled with quiet and warm smiles.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Saiki.Kensuke.Yuuta: Three chapters left to run! I hope everyone is liking this so far.


	5. Annahme

Author's Note: I think this fic is going the way I wanted it to for the most part. Seraph was mostly the suspense and the violence, while this one is more toned-down, quiet, and more aiming towards painting a calm picture. Now the question becomes, is it a painting of the calm before the storm? Or just a continuing calm throughout? XD Hahaha, I just threw you off there now, didn't I?

Disclaimer & Warnings: Refer to first chapter.

Pairing: YoKen, hints of RanOmi and hints of post RanKen.

Fic Note: Reviews are highly appreciated. I hope this chapter proves satisfactory.

I wonder if people are noticing connections between Seraph and this fic. XD Maybe I'm the only one who can tell.

_**Annahme**_

"Something the matter, Ken?" Yoji asked the sulking brunette sitting on his couch.

Ken sighed. "A little…"

Yoji frowned. "What is it, Ken?" he walked up closer to the brunette, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Ken frowned slightly and then shook his head slowly. "It's weird…I love sitting inside…but today…today I'm itching to get out. Is that…is that all right?"

Yoji laughed. "Of course it's all right, Ken. You sure you want to go outside today?" Yoji had to make sure, lately Ken hadn't been too fond of the outdoors. An unusual trait for Ken that Yoji had seemed to get used to.

Ken got a look of determination on his face. "Yes. I'm ready to go outside, but…I don't know what I want to do exactly."

"Hm…" Yoji pondered, "Well, why don't we go to the park and take a breath of fresh air?"

Ken smiled. "The park?" his eyes sparkled, "Yeah, I'd like that!"

Yoji looked at Ken slightly surprised at the enthusiastic reaction. It appeared that Ken's love for the outdoors was slowly resurfacing. It was a refreshing feeling. It was even more refreshing when Ken decided on wearing comfortable clothes for their small outing.

Yoji had led Ken to his closet and Ken was leafing through his clothes, trying to find something that appealed to his sense of touch. Yoji held his breath when Ken reached his more conservative clothing, but to his surprise, Ken frowned and skipped over the familiar fabric. Ken recognized it, but suddenly he wasn't in the mood for it. He felt over some of his soccer jerseys and landed on his favorite one. Yoji felt himself take in a sharp breath as he watched Ken pull it out, turn to him, and smile. Though Ken was looking right through him, Yoji knew the smile was meant for him. "What do you think, Yoji?"

Yoji snapped out of his slight trance. "It's a soccer jersey," he stated stupidly.

Ken laughed. "I thought so. It felt really comfortable. Think this looks all right? I can't tell."

"What? Yeah! Of course it looks all right!" Yoji said, in a state of shock.

Ken smiled. "All right then, I'll be right back!" Ken turned and felt his way to the bathroom to change.

When he came back out, Yoji could have sworn he was seeing a ghost. There was his beautiful Ken, in his soccer gear, all smiles and ready to go. He took Ken by the arm. Lately, Ken had been far less jumpy about Yoji's touches as well. The boy seemed to be adjusting to him. "Ready to go…?"

Ken nodded, staring straight ahead and smiling. "Come on! I want to get out of this place!"

Yoji laughed and helped Ken outside their home into their car.

------------------------------------------------

Ken stepped out of Yoji's convertible into the park. They headed towards a park bench. Ken stopped halfway there and leaned back, soaking in the sun. "Oh! Yoji! This is so nice…!"

Yoji smiled. "Is it?"

Ken nodded, "Mmhm! The weather here today is so nice…"

"Good."

They walked over to the bench eventually, and sat. Yoji had his arm around Ken, protectively, and Ken rested his head on Yoji's shoulder. The positions seemed so natural for them now, neither felt the least bit awkward.

"Hey, Yoji…?"

"Hm…?"

"Tell me about this place, Yoji…like…what color is the sky today? Is it blue or gray? I can't remember shapes of certain things, but I still remember color…"

Yoji half-smiled. Ken grabbed Yoji's shirt for comfort. "Yoji…"

"Yes…?"

"I don't ever want to forget color…Yoji…I don't want to forget anything anymore…"

Yoji felt himself nodding slowly in agreement. He held Ken close to him. "Don't worry, Ken…you won't forget."

Ken smiled a small smile. He closed his eyes for a moment when he heard music. Ken pushed away from Yoji a moment and looked to his left and right, hoping to catch the sound better. "Looking for something, Ken?" Yoji questioned.

"Yeah…" Ken spoke softly, "I hear a violin…"

"Yeah, you probably do. There's a quartet usually playing somewhere around-"

"Can we go see them, Yoji? Please?"

"Eh? What for? I'm comfortable here…"

Ken smiled a warm smile in Yoji's direction. That would have been enough to win the man over, but Ken then said something else that left Yoji no choice but to go with Ken's request. "I remember someone…a woman…and a man…they played the violin together. They were so happy…it was how they met. They told me."

Yoji thought about this for a moment. "They told you?

Ken nodded, seeming to be in a dream. "They loved me…we lived in a house together and then…" Ken suddenly held his head.

He was running after a car, kicking his soccer ball, trying to keep up with the car beside him. He felt himself smiling at the man and woman waving with their violins out the car window. He then remembered the car bursting into flames, and then a cold home with hungry and scared looking children. Ken shivered.

Worried, Yoji took Ken's hand in his and helped the younger boy up. "Come on, let's get to the violinists!"

Ken brightened a little, and Yoji was relieved. He had learned to keep a close eye on Ken's headaches, because they were usually a reaction triggered by something unwanted. Yoji felt it was his job to keep the unwanted thoughts away and out of Ken's mind.

When they found the violinists, Yoji sat down on a bench, while Ken walked up cautiously closer to the violinists, careful to watch his step. Yoji smiled, Ken was so happy. It amazed him how the boy was so easily satisfied and yet so hard to handle at the same time.

When they finished, Yoji frowned a bit when one of the violinists came to talk to Ken. It didn't bother him at first until the violinist managed to gain a sad reaction from the brunette. He was going to go over to Ken and take him back home, since it was getting late anyway, but then he saw the ex-soccer player's face light up as he seemed to be agreeing to something. Convincing himself to control his emotions, Yoji sat back down and waited to see what was going to happen.

He stared in shock as Ken walked up on top of the ledge with the rest of the violinists. He was even more shocked at how natural Ken's fingers were positioned on the violin when the other violinist seemed to give Ken a crash course on where the notes were.

They all stared in awe, Yoji and the other violinists alike, when Ken began to play what appeared an original piece. Yoji was amazed that Ken even knew how to play, and the violinists were amazed that Ken was even blind at all. He was definitely not blind to music.

Ken's music seemed to express his inner turmoil of anger and loneliness that he sometimes felt, and the frustration and sadness that he couldn't remember anything from his past. Yoji could see Ken's soul open even more clearly for him than ever before. Never, until he met Ken, had he experienced someone opening their souls so clearly and without shame or fear of getting hurt. That was just Ken, Yoji realized.

------------------------------------------------

"_So what's your name?" Yoji dropped his pack on the ground with a thud and lit a cigarette._

_The other only stared at him. "Hn…"_

_A shorter and more tanned boy appeared behind of the older man. "His name is Aya Fujimiya! Oh, and we don't like smokers here."_

_The red-head's brow seemed to twitch slightly. Yoji was amused, but put out his cigarette on the ground. "I see. And you are?"_

_Ran grabbed Ken's arm protectively, and Ken happily buried his face in the crook of Ran's neck. "Ken."_

_Yoji raised an eyebrow and laughed. "Oh! So now the cold one wants to speak?"_

_The boy named Ken laughed. "Aw, don't say that, you'll hurt his feelings! Ra-I mean, Aya isn't really all that cold. He's a wonderful person, once you understand who he is."_

_Yoji scrunched his nose. "Hm…right."_

_Ken showed obvious hurt on his face, and Ran was looking pissed off at Yoji now. "Treat Ken respectfully."_

"_Eh! I only respect women, thank you!" Yoji had snorted at Ran then._

_Ken laughed a laugh as clear as a glass bell ringing and echoing all over the world. It shattered Yoji's insides. Yoji was in shock, he didn't even know that someone could laugh that happily in their current line of work. That's when Yoji had started to question if Ken was really Weiss, or if he was just a really really close friend of Ran's. Yoji was further confused when Ran's lips were twitching, trying hard not to break out into a full out smile. _

"_Whaaat? Was it something I said?"_

_Ken just laughed again, and hugged Ran. "What kind of women do you respect, Yoji?"_

_Yoji was still confused and Ran let out a small, amused laugh. "Will you please stop it, Ken?"_

_Yoji was shocked yet again. Ken had managed to make this cold man speak in a full sentence, and say please in that same sentence. Ken laughed again. "It's your fault for calling me-"_

_Ran turned and silenced Ken by tackling him into a wall playfully. He then started tickling Ken. Ken laughed out loud. "Stop it, Ran! Stop it!"_

_Now Yoji was completely lost. Ken had called this 'Aya' guy something else, and the guy wasn't mad at him for it. Yoji was almost sure now that Ran and Ken were more than just friends though. Even he didn't tickle other men when they were buddies. He also didn't understand how Ken managed to be so pure and still maintain being an assassin. _

_Furthermore, Yoji was a bit jealous of these two. For some reason, he wished that Ken would just stop smiling, or stop enjoying Ran's attention. Then maybe he wouldn't feel so awkward. From that moment on, Yoji always seemed to end up getting in little spats with Ken, even though they weren't always intentional. He wanted what they had._

And now he knew why, Yoji mused, laughing inwardly at how far things had developed between him and Ken now. Yoji realized, not even death could probably separate himself from this man. Ironically, Yoji would never know how close to that truth he was until the end of his time.

------------------------------------------------

Ken was drifting off to sleep next to him as Yoji was driving them home. Yoji made a stop in the marketplace, however in the inner city before they went back home. "Hey, Ken?"

"Hunh?" Ken responded sleepily.

Yoji smiled. "Do you like gold, or silver?"

"Hn…red…"

Yoji laughed. "No, I mean if those were your only two choices, which would it be?"

"Huh? Huh…silver…I guess."

Yoji nodded, taking mental note. "Do you like shiny or not so shiny?"

Ken yawned. "I don't like flashy stuff."

Yoji nodded again. "Hey, Ken…come with me a second."

"Huh? Why…? I'm tired, Yoji…" Ken whined.

Yoji laughed. "Just listen to me today, you moron."

Ken sighed. "Okay, okay…just help me out of the car."

"Okay."

Yoji parked his car, then got out of it. He helped Ken out of the passenger side before locking the door behind them. Yoji led Ken inside a store that was cool in temperature. Ken shivered slightly. He was a bit afraid when Yoji let him go and went off to find a store clerk. Ken shivered, having random flashbacks of a cold place, an orphanage that he recognized and yet did not recognize.

Ken almost jumped when he felt Yoji's hands on his shoulders, but immediately recognized their friendly warmth. He relaxed a while until Yoji slid something slick and cold down one of Ken's fingers. It felt funny to him. "Yoji! What are you doing?" Ken whispered.

"Hm…this seems to be right," was all Yoji said in response.

Confused, Ken just waited. Eventually, he heard a cash register go off, and Ken was soon being led back to the car. "Erm…Yoji?"

"Yes? What is it?"

"What did we buy?"

"Cream."

"Cream! At random?" Ken wondered, yet he realized it would explain the temporary cold slick feeling he had felt.

He heard Yoji laugh. "Yes, at random. What are you going to do about it?"

"I…I don't know," Ken yawned, "But I know I'm tired and I'm going to go to sleep…"

Yoji laughed. "Yeah, you go do that, KenKen."

Ken laughed before drifting off. "Yotan…" he whispered automatically again.

Yoji's eyes widened slightly and he looked over in Ken's direction and looked surprised. He _knew _Ken had said his nickname this time. He was _sure _of it. Yet, then again, Yoji might have imagined it. After all, he had been waiting for so long for Ken to say it again, it was probably possible that his mind just got overexcited and made it all up. Yoji wouldn't have been surprised. He knew it wouldn't have been his first time.

------------------------------------------------

_Ken had dropped a flowerpot on the ground. Yoji and the woman he had been flirting with looked over at him in question. The woman lost interest as Yoji walked over to Ken's side. "What is it, Ken?"_

_Ken looked annoyed. "What you said to that woman, that was so rated R…"_

_Yoji laughed at Ken's phrase. "What, did little Kenikens get annoyed by my pick-up skills? Does he want some?"_

"_Ugh!" Ken scrunched his nose in disgust, "And don't call me Kenikens! All I was saying was…that was not necessary in this shop. You can do it in the clubs you go to, but not here!"_

_Yoji smirked. "All right, Kenikens, whatever you say!"_

"_Argh! I can't believe Ra-Aya and Omi picked today to go out on a date!" Ken seemed to tack the last bit on with a twinge of sadness and regret._

_The blond playboy noticed the change in the ex-soccer player's expression. Yoji grinned cockily, trying to distract Ken from his thoughts. "No? Okay then, how about KenKen?"_

"_Do you have to nickname me?"_

_Yoji fluttered his eyelashes innocently. "Why, of course, my dearest KenKen! A childish nickname for a childish man."_

_Ken narrowed his eyes. "Fine! Then…then I get to call you one too!"_

"_Go ahead."_

_Ken's left eye twitched. "Fine! You…you…YoYo!"_

_Yoji was silent at first, and then his body started shaking. Ken looked at Yoji confused, then watched Yoji erupt into laughter. Ken's strange imagination was just too funny. "YoYo? The worst you can come up with is YoYo? Hah!"_

_Ken blushed furiously. "Shut up, Yotan!"_

_Yoji blinked. That one was a bit annoying. "What was that?"_

_Ken grinned, realizing that it bothered Yoji. "I said, Yotan!"_

"_KenKen!"_

_  
"Yotan!"_

"_KenKen!"_

"_Yotan!"_

"_Everyone left…" a cold voice sliced through._

_Yoji and Ken slowly turned to see Ran standing at the front door with Omi, arms crossed. In the midst of their arguing, they had driven away all their customers. Ken looked away a bit, and Yoji stared at Ran, level. He never liked the guy when he was dating Ken, and he certainly didn't like him now. In a way, Yoji's constant bickering with Ken was because he was sympathetic to Ken's problem. He didn't know how else to show that he was worried for Ken, since the boy's smile seemed to be slipping more and more. _

"_Who made this mess."_

"_Me…" Ken said quietly._

_Ran ignored Ken, it was obvious to all of them that it wasn't Ken Ran was mad at. "You will clean it up," Ran said directly to Yoji, staring at the blond with his striking violet eyes._

_Ken, thinking the order was for him, sighed, then put his hands on his hips and glared at Yoji. "Hey! I hope you know you're going to help me clean this up. It was partly your fault too!"  
_

_Yoji helped Ken, but not because he was told. He did because Ken had, in his own strange way, asked. When they had finished, Yoji had mockingly ruffled Ken's hair, messing it up and annoying the younger man to death. "You did well, Hidaka."_

"_Aw, put a lid on it, Yotan!"_

"_KenKen."_

"…_!"_

------------------------------------------------

More than a month had gone by since their outing. At the moment Ken was making breakfast on his own with no problem, since Yoji had helped him gain his confidence. Yet Ken was suddenly missing Yoji's hands on his, guiding him. He knew he had probably been bothersome to the blond, but somehow, the blond seemed to have _grown _on him a little.

Ken sighed and put down his utensils. He just wasn't in the mood to finish his cooking at the moment. He leaned over the sink and contemplated these past few months. In the past few months, he and Yoji had done almost everything together.

In the beginning, Ken admitted to himself that he had felt awkward around Yoji. But now, he felt completely at ease. It was at that point that Ken realized that he could accept Yoji a little more than he had believed he could. Ken was startled out of his thoughts, but relaxed immediately when he recognized the hands on his shoulders. "Is something wrong…Ken?"

Ken half-smiled. "A little bit."

"Do you want to go outside again?"

Ken shook his head. "I…I need to sit."

Yoji didn't act right away, but Ken was prepared for him when Yoji finally led him to a seat on the couch. Ken settled himself in. He heard Yoji sit across from him to get back to his coffee and newspaper. Ken felt a bit hurt that Yoji's attentions weren't on him today.

The truth was, Yoji had a lot on his mind. He wanted to explain to Ken something, but he couldn't. Meanwhile, Ken was fearing the worst; Yoji had lost interest in him. This gave Ken some courage to do what he was about to do.

"Yoji…?"

"Hm…?"

Yoji was distracted. That wasn't a good sign. Ken bit his lip. "Um…can we talk…? It's kind of important…"

"Eh? Sure," Ken relaxed a bit when he heard Yoji set down his cup and newspaper.

Now he had Yoji's full attention-or at least, most of it. Ken felt nervous flutters in his stomach. "Um…promise not to laugh or anything?"

Yoji smiled tiredly. "Of course. Promise."

Ken nodded, but mostly to himself. "Okay…um…remember when you told me that you wished that when I remembered things…that you asked me whether or not I...I loved you back?" Ken tacked the last one on as a whisper.

Yoji nodded slowly, nervous flutters forming in his own stomach. This may have been the opening he had been waiting for all this time. "Well…" Ken continued, "I think I can give you my answer now…"

Yoji was on the edge of his seat, nervous. Ken was just as nervous when he heard Yoji shift. "So…" Yoji prodded cautiously.

Ken laughed nervously. "Um…I just wanted to say…that after thinking about it…I realized we've been getting a lot closer lately. And well…I don't mind it at all anymore…I mean, it used to bother me a lot, but now…it's _calming _when we are together."

"Meaning…?"

"Well, at first I wasn't sure if this was a good or a bad sort of calm but then…then I realized."

Yoji took in some air and held it. Ken half-smiled. "You know, it's funny."

"What is…?" Yoji whispered gently.

"I think…I think I like you. A lot. Maybe even…maybe even _love _you a little," Ken said shyly.

Yoji thought he was going to die happy. He couldn't believe it. After so many years of waiting, he finally had the words he had been dying to hear. He rushed to Ken's side excitedly. "No joke?" he asked hopefully, to confirm.

Ken smiled in his direction. "No joke…"

Yoji crushed his lips to Ken's. Ken accepted his kiss gratefully, and he felt a bit of regret when Yoji was the first to pull away. He wouldn't be regretting for long. Yoji dug something out of his pocket and placed it in Ken's palm. Ken felt it for a while, and then his eyes widened. It had been that cold substance he had felt before. Now he knew what it was. It was a ring.

Ken looked in the direction opposite Yoji, he had lost his orientation, with teary eyes. Yoji laughed lightly and moved Ken's face to face him and wiped away Ken's tears. "Yoji…do you mean it…?"

Yoji smiled. "You shouldn't have to ask me that question."

Ken smiled back, somehow knowing Yoji was smiling too. He wiped his fresh tears away. "Then you shouldn't have to ask my answer…" the brunette whispered.

Yoji smiled and slowly slid the ring on Ken's finger. "So you'll marry me…"

Ken laughed at Yoji's sneakiness. "Yes…yes I will."

Yoji smiled and held Ken close. They locked in a tight embrace, both very happy. "So then…where from here?"

"Soon..." Yoji whispered, "When we get all the preparations ready…then we'll be official, forever."

_Forever_. Ken liked the sound of that. Forever didn't have to be perfect, long or short. Forever just had to be said. And Yoji had said it.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Saiki.Kensuke.Yuuta: Two chapters left! Nearing the end! Can ya handle it? Hahahaha.

Hopefully you've been paying attention to my author's notes, guys! I don't just ramble up there for no reason like some writers do. I have _reasons_ for why my notes are there!

Please read them! And stay tuned!


	6. Erinnerung

Author's Note: I've been updating so painfully slow on this one. Class starting up isn't helping me at all. Eventually, I'll have less and less time for creativity. Sucks.

Disclaimer & Warnings: Refer to first chapter.

Pairing: YoKen, hints of RanOmi, and a little more post RanKen.

Fic Note: Please review! Without those, I never would have gotten this far, seriously. I'm surprised people have been liking this so far. And I'm glad they do.

_**Erinnerung**_

Ken had insisted staying in the corner of the flower shop instead of resting on the couch in the basement. The others let him, not wanting the ex-soccer player to feel cooped up. Ken sat in a corner in a chair, his arms crossed. He was leaning his head against the wall and his eyes were closed. He breathed in the air slowly as he sat quietly there the whole day, listening.

In the midst of listening to all the conversation, Ken felt a tug on his heart. He drifted off to a sort of in-between state of dreams and being awake.

_Ken was in a different flower shop, different from the one he was currently in. He walked forward and swung open the door to the shop, entering. There, he saw himself clumsily arranging flowers. This was confusing him because he knew he had been doing the job very well lately. _

A voice of a woman drifted in the room. "Manx!" Omi was whispering excitedly, "You came to visit!"

"Yes, I have…how is Ken?"

_The smiling scene of the flower shop seemed to vanish for the most part. The store was getting darker, and he was heading down a set of stairs into the familiar basement where he constantly rested due to his lack of energy. _

_He heard familiar voices. Omi, Ran, and Yoji were definitely down here. He continued down the stairs and heard his own voice. He was also hearing a voice of a familiar man coming from the television screen. Ken stopped when he saw a woman with red hair in the corner. He recognized that woman. Somehow, Ken knew she was the owner of the voice he had just heard._

_Ken wondered why they were here, and not smiling. Then he noticed what was on the screen. Pictures of dead people. He looked at all the Weiss. They were all holding some kind of weapons. Ken gasped. He was remembering this now. They had killed for justice. So why weren't they doing it now? Had it changed over the years? Was he imagining things?_

_Yet, he was sure that they had killed at some point._

"He's fine. He's Yoji's charge," the voice was Ran's.

Ken shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"_Ran! Ran! Let's go to the field tomorrow, okay?"_

"_Sure, why not."_

_Ken was watching his past-self, or he assumed it was his past self, run up to Ran and hug him. He half-smiled as Ran hugged him back. He was confused, he thought he had been with Yoji all this time. What was this, then?_

"_How come you don't talk as much in the store, Ran?"_

"_They understand me not by my words, Ken…but by my expressions."_

"_Or lack thereof!"_

_Ran laughed. The dream Ken smiled. "But I speak for you…because you don't seem to understand otherwise."_

"_Well, it's too hard!"_

"_Hn…"_

The last customer had just filed out of the store when Omi started the store lock-down.

"So what brings you here, Manx?"

Ken relaxed. The voice was Yoji's. "I'm just here to see how you all were doing. I believe that Schwarz has lost interest in you all for the most part. Especially Esstet. They have their hands full with the new and larger Weiss."

"You made it bigger?" Yoji asked with slight disbelief.

"Yes. We figured they would have less room to bond and connect. We found that if they were as tightly knit as you all were, they would spiral down the drain the minute one of them falls."

The ex-assassins all remained quiet at this truth. Ken shifted uncomfortably again.

_Everything seemed to be zooming by him so fast, but then suddenly his dream started to slow. Ken stopped in front of a sort of movie screen, and then looked around and realized they were all screens. Ken picked the closest one and touched it, finding that it was of liquid substance. He let his arms through, and then fell right in._

_He was with a man named Schuldich in this one. Ken wasn't particularly fond of him. He looked behind them, and there was another Schuldich and the rest of a sort of team._

_What had the name been? Ken watched the figures move silently, and the scene changed to a battlefield. Weiss. Their group name had been Weiss. They were fighting the strange looking men. The one with glasses and the one without an eye seemed the hardest to beat._

_What were they? _

Ken jolted from his seat suddenly. "Schwarz!" he screamed.

The rest of the people in the room stared at Ken in disbelief. They advanced slowly to Ken. "Ken…?" Yoji spoke cautiously, "Ken…? What's going on?"

Ken held his head, kicking the seat away from under him. He leaned against a wall and started sliding down it slowly. His head was hurting him like crazy, like someone was driving a nail in with a hammer.

_He was in a nightclub. He was unsure of himself and how he should be acting. He didn't have to be for long. The familiar blond was grabbing his hand and rushing him out of the club with a panic._

"_Yoji…? Hey! Yoji! What's going on?"_

_The scene flashed to Yoji looking into Ken's eyes before kissing the boy smartly on the mouth. The kiss sent electric sparks all through him, sticking him to the floor. _

Ken slowly snapped out of it, but he was still breathing hard. He felt the blood on his hands, he remembered the pain in his heart. He was being shaken lightly by someone. He looked up slowly at no one in particular. "Ken!" Yoji's soothing voice was calling out to him in slight panic, "Ken! Are you all right?"

Ken started crying. He wanted to pass out, throw up, _anything _than remember any more. If you could call them memories. He was being held from all directions. Especially by Yoji. Ken buried his face in Yoji's chest.

He didn't know how long they had all stayed like that before he passed out. He slept in Yoji's house for the whole of the next day.

That very night, something seemed to click in Ken. He woke up earlier than usual, but he didn't move for a long time. He just waited until Yoji came in his room to check up on him.

"Yoji…"

"Yes, Ken?" Yoji went over to Ken's curtains and opened them.

Ken fell silent a moment, and then he whispered, "How many did I kill…?"

Yoji froze, then turned from the curtains, his eyes wide. "Who told you that?"

Ken bit his lip. "My dream…I dreamt that we used to have weapons…and we were always down in a basement, taking orders from a television…?"

Yoji shakily made his way over to Ken's bed. "You…you just had a bad dream."

Ken frowned. "Don't lie to me, Yotan!"

Yoji's eyes widened. Ken had _definitely _said it this time. "What was that?"

"I said don't lie to me."

"No, after that…"

"Yotan."

"Right…that's what I thought…" Yoji said to himself in disbelief, "What else did your dreams tell you…"

"I wasn't in love with you the whole time…I was in love with Aya too…but I called him Ran…he's with Omi now…and I'm with you…"

Yoji nodded slowly. "Yoji…I feel sick…tell me…tell me what those dreams mean…"

Yoji cupped his hands around Ken's face. "Ken…"

"Yes…?"

"You're…" Yoji gulped, "You're remembering…"

"Remembering _what _though?"

Yoji laughed and kissed Ken on the mouth. Ken's eyes widened slightly, and things seemed to fall into place. Yoji pulled away and looked down at a breathless Ken. "Oh…" the lithe boy rasped.

------------------------------------------------

Today was a day of much celebration. Everyone had rejoiced when they found Ken had his memory back. Today was a celebration of that, as well as a celebration of Ken and Yoji's wedding. It was to be a small, private one, but it was a wedding all the same.

Ken was incredibly nervous. "What if Yoji changes his mind, Omi?"

Omi laughed. "After all you guys have been through? All the sleepless nights and cigarettes that Yoji's smoked? I don't think he'll give up on you now."

Ken wrinkled his nose. "What do you mean, all the cigarettes he's smoked?"

"What I mean is, if you had any idea how much money Yoji spent on packs of smokes, you'd flip out."

"How many?"

"Enough to surprise me and Aya that he doesn't have cancer."

Ken laughed softly, mostly embarrassed that he caused Yoji's habit to worsen. He took a sharp intake of breath when he heard the organ being played. Ran was probably playing it, judging from the style. When they had gone out, Ran had played the piano for Ken all the time, and Ken eventually accompanied him on the violin. How blind Ken had been then, thinking that just because they connected with music, that he would have the kind of relationship his parents had. He had been wrong.

"Is Ran playing the piano…?"

Omi almost didn't recognize the name again, but nodded and smiled sheepishly, "Aa."

Ken burst out laughing. Omi was confused. "Ken-kun?"

Ken laughed. "I'm sorry, Omi, you just sounded so much like R…Aya just now," Ken caught his mistake this time.

Omi blushed. "Thank you, Ken-kun…"

"He's quite the musician, you know…" Ken added, fondly, "I'm sure if you ask, he'll play for you someday."

Omi shook his head and sighed. "I'm afraid Aya will only play for you, Ken."

Ken frowned slightly, "Well that's not fair, and that's not very nice of him either!"

Omi laughed. "It's okay, Ken. Actually I understand him. He told me once, that you used to play with him. He wants to be loyal to me from now on, so he doesn't want to do anything that reminds him of you and makes his thoughts waver."

"Oh, I see," Ken nodded.

Omi helped Ken up. "Okay, Ken-kun! Time to go!"

Ken smiled. Omi led Ken down the aisle, and Ran seemed to suddenly play a different and more lively rendition of the wedding march. They made it to the end of the hall and then everything seemed to stop. Ran stopped playing, and Omi was quiet. The priest who was at the front cleared his throat. Ken looked around, knowing he wouldn't be able to see anything. "Why did we stop? What's going on?" Ken asked worriedly.

Just then, someone barged into the church. Ken looked in the direction of the sound, and he heard heavy breathing. "Yoji! Where were you?" he heard Omi scold.

Yoji ran up to Ken and held the brunette's hands. "That…doesn't…matter…now…I'm…here!" Yoji managed to breath out.

Ken frowned at the person in front of him. "You're the one who set the date and you're late for our wedding!"

Yoji chuckled nervously. "Explain yourself!" Ken roared.

Everyone winced, and Yoji chuckled nervously. "Well, there was this woman outside the chapel that needed her car fixed and no one was going to help her so…"

"A _woman_!" Ken thundered, "_That's _why you were late!"

"Well, um…"

"Yoji Kudou! If you want me to change my last name, you'd better get on your knees and apologize for that! I did not come here all nervous and scared that you were going to change your mind only to find out you not only came _late _but it was because of some _woman _in distress!"

"You'd better do as he says, Yoji-kun…" Omi warned, "Or Ken-kun might get really mad…"

Yoji sighed and glared at Ran, who seemed to be trying hard not to smile. He got on his knees and held Ken's hands, tugging them down a bit to prove that he was down. "I'm…sorry, Ken."

Ken thwacked Yoji on the head, causing them all surprise. "Ow!" Yoji whined, rubbing his head, "What was that for?"

"Don't ever do it again!"

They all fell silent for a moment, and then they all laughed. Ken was relieved, and the rest were laughing at how adorable Ken had looked at that moment, so furious at Yoji. Ken eventually helped Yoji up. "We should get started…"

They wasted no more time after that. They exchanged vows, rings, and then a long kiss that caused the priest to turn away respectfully. Ran held Omi's hand, and Omi was trying hard not to squeal in delight. They had come so far, and now it was official. He was so happy for them.

------------------------------------------------

Ken sighed as the moved in the last piece of furniture into their large room. Kritiker, as a gift to them, had bought Yoji and Ken a large house as a wedding gift. Yoji had just finished hooking up strings everywhere, so that Ken would be able to find his way around the house without getting hurt.

Ken flopped onto his bed. When he heard Yoji come in the room, he smiled. Yoji ruffled his hair, and Ken leaned in to Yoji's touch. Yoji laughed. "That happy, huh?"

Ken smiled tiredly, "Yeah…"

Ken yawned, and then got up and stretched. "I think I'm going to go take a shower."

"All right."

Ken got up and found his way into the bathroom. Yoji followed him in, but Ken didn't notice. Ken shut the door, and Yoji locked it. Ken heard the click of the lock and frowned, since he knew he hadn't locked the door. He turned and ran into Yoji's chest.

"Ah!" Ken screamed, "Ahhhh!"

Yoji put a finger to Ken's lips, silencing him. "Relax, love, it's only me."

"I know, but why are you in here!"

Yoji laughed. "To help you take a shower, of course."

"No! Get out! Pervert!"

Yoji advanced on Ken. "Oh, let's be fair now, KenKen. We're _married _now. We're _supposed _to do these things."

"Yotan! Get ou-o_hhh…_"

Yoji grinned at Ken's reaction. That night, Ken found out what it was like to become a true _married man_. He couldn't even look at Yoji in the eye later that night when they shared the same bed. Yoji was grinning, resting his head on his hand, and propped himself up on an elbow. Ken was as far away from Yoji as possible, flustered, and trying to get some sleep.

"So did you have fun, Ken?"

"…"

"Well?"

"Shut up, Yotan."

"Aww, is KenKen mad?"

"Go to sleep, Yotan!"

Yoji laughed and wrapped his arm around Ken's waist. Ken blushed and muttered something about murdering Yoji in his sleep, but he gave into Yoji's touch, much to his dismay. Yoji smiled at Ken. Life was truly good.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Saiki.Kensuke.Yuuta: Yes, they did have sex, but instead of describing it in detail, I thought that for this fic, it would be far more powerful if I just practiced my power of suggestion. Appealing to the mood over the sexual tension.

Haha, though I can't say I made a smooth enough transition. I tried! I'm a bit rushed, trying to get this fic done before I lose the concept just because class starts. That would suck.

Time for the grand finale! Oh, but read the author's note in the next one, or you might miss something. hint hint!


	7. Voller Kreis

Author's Note: I have created a spur of the moment companion fic for this story! Making Seraph like a trilogy somewhat. I hope you enjoy it! The companion is titled _Married Life: The YoKen Way_.

Disclaimer & Warnings: Refer to first chapter.

Pairing: YoKen-centric.

Fic Note: This chapter is really short, but I feel that it ends the whole thing properly. But I'd love to read reviews and see what you all think about it. I tried not to overdo the whole fic here, so hopefully I maintained that goal.

_**Voller Kreis**_

A year had passed since their wedding. Ken and Yoji were now nearing their late twenties. They had fallen asleep on the couch after going to see Omi and Ran's two adopted children. They were very energetic, especially the younger one. They had kept Yoji and Ken so busy, that by the time they came home, they had no energy to do anything but sleep on the couch.

Ken had been very comfortable relaxing on Yoji's chest when Ken decided he was going to take a shower. After all, playing with children outside all day long didn't exactly bring a good smell. He decided to wake Yoji up later to get the man to take a shower. He didn't want to wake Yoji to take a shower now, because then he knew what the older man's suggestion would be, and the suggestions Yoji always came up with ended up leaving Ken flustered and wondering why he even bothered to marry this man in the first place. He was just impossible.

He got up a bit too quickly, and lost orientation of the room. Ken panicked and leaned down, looking for some kind of landmark to help him guess where he was. Not finding anything, he kept moving forward and tripped over the small glass table in the middle of the room. He fell with a big crash, taking some of the things on the table with him, and hit his head hard on the ground. Ken heard something fall with a soft thud on the ground.

Hearing the crash, Yoji jolted awake from the couch and looked around tiredly. He rushed to Ken's side when he realized that his lover had been the cause for the commotion. "Ken!" Yoji asked worriedly, "Ken, are you all right!"

"Nngh…" Ken held his head and felt very dizzy.

He started seeing a swirl of color. The black in his vision was fading away and his eyes were slowly focusing in on the room. Ken blinked in slight surprise and stared straight ahead. He saw a wine glass laying on its side, the red wine all spilled out of it onto the milky white carpet.

"Ken! Are you all right?" Yoji asked again.

Ken stared at the wine glass in awe, and then spoke slowly, "Yoji…?"

"Yes? What is it, Ken?"

"Yoji…did I…did I drop something?"

"Yes, you did, but don't worry about it now."

"Yoji…?"

"Yes?"

"What color was our carpet again…?"

Yoji scratched the back of his neck. He wasn't sure whether or not to take these questions as signs of Ken's well-being or not. He decided to answer the question anyway, "Well, our carpet? It's white."

"Was there anything in that wine cup? Did something spill out and stain the-"

Yoji chuckled, "Don't _worry _about it, Ken. Are you all right, though?"

Ken slowly rolled over on his back and looked up straight into Yoji's eyes. He reached for Yoji's face, and Yoji automatically met him halfway, helping Ken find his face. The thing was, Ken didn't need help finding Yoji's face. He could see where it was. Realizing this, Ken practically jumped up and kissed Yoji on the mouth, and hard. Surprised, the blond merely let Ken in and didn't do anything else.

Ken finally pulled away, leaving Yoji confused and breathless. "Ken…?"

"Yeah?"

"How did you…find my lips so perfectly?" Yoji asked.

All this time, Yoji had to be the first one to make a move because Ken couldn't see where his lips were, and he always took too long to guess. Ken felt tears sting his eyes and his throat felt like it was closing up a bit. "Do you really want to know how I could find them…?"

"Yes. And why are you crying!"

Ken smiled a tearful smile. "_Because_, Yotan…"

Yoji wiped away Ken's tears and looked down at the brunette questioningly. "PMS?"

"No! I'm not a woman, Yotan!"

Yoji chuckled. "You sure act like one."

Ken almost didn't continue because he was getting lost in Yoji's beautiful eyes. "Yoji…" he finally started again, "Yoji…I can…"

Yoji laughed. "See? You're being a woman right now," he smiled at Ken's pouting, "But yeah…you can what, Ken?"

"I...I can see you!" Ken finally whispered excitedly, his perfect smile forming and lighting up his face.

Yoji was speechless. "Ken…how many fingers am I holding up?" Yoji asked, holding up three fingers.

"Three…" Ken whispered.

"And what," Yoji whispered gently, "is the color of the fireplace over there?"

Ken looked in the direction where Yoji was pointing, which surprised Yoji and was almost proof enough that he could see, but Yoji wanted to make sure. "Marble…" Ken replied.

Yoji couldn't believe his eyes _or _his ears. He found himself crushing Ken's lithe body towards him and thanking whatever high being it was that had allowed the full Ken to come back to him at last, after waiting so long.

Somewhere above in a place called Paradise, a being who had taken a form of an old man was laughing, ripping up a contract and throwing it into a furnace behind of him. He was satisfied, for he felt the price had been more than fully paid, in his opinion.

Unknowing about the truth behind the hardships of their past few years, Yoji still had Ken locked in a happy embrace, Ken's wonderful words echoing in his mind, laced with the brunette's beautiful smile and laughter.

_"I can see, Yoji… I can see you again!"_

OWARI!

Saiki.Kensuke.Yuuta: The end! Now, it's time for me to go hit my gravi fics and finish those…I have 7 more fics I'm planning on creating and finishing before the winter months settle in. Wish me luck!

If you didn't have enough of this fic, as I stated in my author's note, I made one last fic, a companion to the Seraph series. It's called _Married Life: The YoKen Way_. Go check it out!


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